Where have I been? Where haven’t I been?
During the last few weeks I have sat 12 exams, handed in 1 piece of coursework, enjoyed a nice cold beer in the sun, discovered fabulous shops as well as my latest tv series addictions: Hannibal and Vikings.
Oh, I also got my hideous dry hair cut into a glorious carré thanks to the best mother-in-law one could ever wish for.
The Strasbourg Diaries: Cute findings.
You know what it the most wonderful thing about Strasbourg? Whenever I think I have explored every single narrow street, walked on every ancient bridge and spotted every gothic church and fabulous cafeteria, I end up in a completely unexplored place! On my way back from university one day, I decided to take a different route: that allowed me to discover loads of small pretty restaurants in Krutenau, say hi to a super cute kitty who was sleeping in a shop window [top right pic], and find this beauty [top left pic]. The latter, is a lovely salon de thé situated just behind the Strasbourg Cathedral [one would say: that’s where you live! - to which I’d say: I know right? It’s been there all this time and I never noticed it!]. After fulfilling the urge to take a picture of such loveliness, me and the boyfriend walked back from Rue des Frères, which we had already been to several times, only to discover the amount of nice restaurants and independent boutiques we failed to notice for the last two months [still wonder why, as the amount of pretty things in Rue des Frères pretty much shames that of Rue des Juifs].
Now that I have shared my findings with you, I shall increase my caffeine dosage and go back to my marketing project.
The Strasbourg diaries: A raving prelude
Just over a week go I was telling you my very positive first impressions on Strasbourg upon my arrival. Since then, very little has changed: I still act like a kid in a candy shop whenever I cross the ancient bridges of Petite France, find entirely new and fabulous places I have missed during my numerous scouts around town and the Oh-my-god-I-don’t-want-to-live-this-place-ever feeling is still there, too. For this reason, every couple of days -mostly a case of whenever I get a decent internet connection-I will entirely dedicate a series of posts on my Strasbourg adventures and focus on one aspect of my permanence at a time – endless explanations of major landmarks, food critics and ravings on my new flat are to be very much expected -. So ladies and gentlemen, let the Strasbourg diaries begin!
Strasbourg - day 1,2,3,4
It feels like yesterday when I left sunny Sicily and ventured in the Alsatian lands for the first time. Strasbourg is by far the best city I have ever visited in my life -and believe me, I saw a few- and is surely at the top of my list of cities I want to live in after I graduate. There is such a wide variety of little independent boutiques and cafeterias I just don’t know where to turn my head to first, the typical Alsatian architecture is so fabulous in the way that the whole city seems lost in time, almost fake. Above I posted a picture of Petite France, which is by far the most suggestive bit of Strasbourg with all its little canals, typical architecture and bridges, and below there is one of the ‘Au pont Saint Martin’ restaurant, where me and the boyfriend enjoyed a delicious dinner two days ago -Tried the Alsatian ‘Munster’ cheese for the first time, and it is lovely indeed!-. The magic of these four days have although been briefly interrupted by a nasty wasp who thought it was a great idea to just randomly bite me in the arm whilst I was sipping a coffee in the city centre: at least it died right after, the fucker! In conclusion, I rate Strasbourg a good 9/10 and I’d recommend anyone to visit this marvellous place.
I am mad with excitement, for today has been a very jolly day. After weeks filled with frustration and anxiety, I found out that my very ill boyfriend has no horrific-infective-lethal disease whatsoever and will therefore meet me in Strasbourg for lots of kinky sex coffee and cake on August 27.
Upon hearing such great news, I conceived that the best way of celebrating was to go shopping and buy lots of kinky underwear in a variety of bright colours -although as I mentioned here, none of that will last very long-.
More good news:
Now, all my concerns and worries can be focused on the amount of dresses and handbags to cram in my suitcase and which day is it best to do my weekly body scrub. I can’t even believe I can go back to sitting and day-dreaming like a little girl, for it’s a feeling I haven’t had in a long while.
And here is a picture of me and my best friend, lover and companion, taken during a tri to Kenilworth Castle, because we’re just the most awesome couple out there.
I have spent all evening looking at housing in France, and now feel as excited as someone who’s got a good reason to be excited. Endless searches over the internet resulted in finding a lovely 50² flat located in the heart of Strasbourg’s city centre and, more importantly, it has a balcony overlooking rue de la Mésange, where I will lose myself inside the Gucci, Cartier and Hermès boutiques -at the expense of the boyfriend- or have a quick espresso in one of the street’s cafés. My picture selection falls on rue de la Mésange at night, all nicely lit by red and blue neons and divided by the tramway - I missed having a tramway in my city, it reminds me of when I was living in Italy -, and I now command September to hurry up so I can do all the above mentioned things on a daily basis (plus spontaneously going to Germany for the day and find out wether Angela’s hands are actually sticked together). I will be missing UK’s massive sales, but I assume that is the price to pay for wearing a béret and mocking the new French President in the poshest cafés in town.
OT. All my respect for those one million people who gathered by the Thames to assist to the Jubilee’s celebrations despite the awful weather and incessant rain, it is great to know that people still care about traditions.
After not finding the bag of my dreams, queuing for ages at the student centre, and ending up in the ghetto whilst I was looking for an interpreting agency - classy times -, my week got a lucky twist. Me and the boyfriend randomly decided to get a nice hotel in Birmingham and go on a shop hunt -as I could really use a break from it all-, which allowed me to find another, much prettier bag, a lovely summer coat, and sit in nice cafés by the canal having espressos and chocolate doughnuts -as well as finding out my average mark for German is a sound 84%-.
Such a lucky twist, as all good things, couldn’t last long: my schedule for the next two days includes:
….So here are 4 cute motivational/good-luck sloths for me!!
This is how a stressed materialist university student pleases herself to cope with revision and a considerable amount of work to get done. Whilst flicking through the pages of Language, Power and Ideology and analysing political discourse, I can now casually look up and look at my new crown to remind me who’s Queen, write my notes with one of my fabulous fountain pens - which I still haven’t figured out how to use properly - and tickle the sleeping boyfriend with my feather fountain pen at the same time, and open my pay slips and specialist tour operator brochures with my cool yet practical sword-shaped letter opener. When I am running late to an appointment, I can now quickly check myself out on my Ted Baker heart-shaped pocket mirror and fight the awful weather that has affected England for the past 3 weeks with my extra smooth and comfortable Aquascutum leather gloves. If I finished my assignments at a decent hour instead of doing everything last minute, I’d be a cool kid.
(Source: facebook.com)
@Victoria Square, Birmingham
Back from my lovely week-end in B’ham with the boyfriend. Technically I came back two days ago, but it took me a while to recover from the despair of being in Chaventry once again and write a new post. I was based in a delightful club room at the local Crowne Plaza, and enjoyed the wonders of free drinks and snacks at the Club customers’ lounge between one shopping session and the other - beautifully hit the sales at Selfridges and Aquascutum. I must say I underestimated Birmingham by a long way, and had to quickly change my mind as I was walking through its lovely canal surrounded by independent pubs and sipping hot chocolate in one of its pretty cafés. Oh god, I love cafés, in fact they do pretty much represent the main cause of me spending an average of £10 a day on mochas, espressos and hot chocolates. Long story short, I wish to go back to Birmingham at once.
Busy beyond belief, and that is why me and the boyfriend decided to take a week-end off to Birmingham lazying around, spending a ridiculous amount of money on incredibly trivial things and rolling on a big double bed at the local Crowne Plaza hotel. Bring on the weekend!
Stories of a stressed Italian-born-England-based student living in France.
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